Requesting Advice For Heartworm, Tick, And Flea Treatments

[Guest grey_dreams]

We are moving to St. Louis, MO next week (from Amsterdam). Here, we don't have heartworm, and ticks and fleas are not a problem. I would greatly appreciate advice on new treatment regimes that I will have to implement once we move to the midwest. What is the best medication and application schedule to prevent heartworm for my two galgos? What are the best tick and flea medications to repel ticks and fleas for sighthounds and for my cat, and how often should they be applied? Any other advice that you can give about new things that I will have to do once we move (should we regularly screen for lyme disease?) is greatly appreciated!

[TheFullHouse]

There are several good products on the market. Heartguard does a great job preventing heart worms and there is Frontline Plus or Comfortis are both good for flea and tick prevention. Heartguard is given once a month and Frontline Plus and Comfortis usually every 90 days.

[Hubcitypam]

My vet is really pushing Trifexis -- so much that I wonder if he's getting a kickback. We use Ivermectin from AU and Advantage as needed. We don't have ticks in the old part of Dallas and Advantage works better on just fleas that Frontline. However, if you go about 15 miles north ticks are everywhere.

[Batmom]

We use Frontline Plus (topical) every month for fleas and ticks, and Interceptor (oral) every month for heartworm. I'm a couple hundred miles north of you so a little colder. I use the heartworm meds every month, year round, without fail. For the Frontline, I might skip a month or two in the winter but if there are significant warm spells or I have houseguests who might bring bugs, I'll keep using it every month.

 

Many friends and folks here like Comfortis (oral) for fleas, but it doesn't kill ticks and we have lots of those in my area .

 

I understand that Interceptor may be hard to get now. When I need more heartworm medication, I'll probably get Heartgard instead.

[OwnedBySummer]

Summer gets Heartguard for 6 months a year (June-November) and I apply K9 Advantix Plus from April-November. Note that you CANNOT use Advantix on a kitty. If your cat doesn't snuggle with or groom the dogs, I'm told it's okay to then use it on just the dogs.

[KF_in_Georgia]

When you get to your new place, ask your neighbors what's being effective against fleas/ticks for their pets. Currently, Interceptor (and Sentinal, I think) are out of production due to manufacturing issues. Interceptor and Sentinal prevent more parasites than Heartgard Plus does, but I've had to go to Heartgard Plus for the heartworm preventative and just take my chances with the other parasites (like hookworms--we think Sam's got those now, so we're deworming). A comparison of heartworm meds is available here; flea and tick comparison chart is here. In St Louis, you're probably going to need to give heartworm preventative year-round. It's a prescription med, so you'll need to see your vet to get a heartworm test for the dogs so you can get a prescription.

 

Trifexis for heartworms fights more of the "extra" parasites--it's more like Interceptor and Sentinal than like Heartgard. It also has built-in flea prevention, but I don't know how effective that's been. It doesn't prevent ticks, but ticks may not be a problem in your area (again, ask your neighbors). Some people successfully use a Preventic collar to supplement Trifexis. If you use a flea preventative like Frontline Plus (and there's a difference between Frontline and Frontline Plus), you'll need to use it monthly.

 

Since your dogs haven't had these meds before, I'd try to stagger the meds to start with, so that if one of the meds doesn't agree with one of the dogs, you'll have some idea what the problem is. Make sure your new vet knows that you and the dogs are new to these meds.

[Feisty49]

I use Interceptor for heartworm prevention. It also works against round worms, hook worms and whip worms. My vet has had problems getting it but got a supply in just last week and I won't need more until mid-September. Annie Bella gets it monthly on the 15th. For fleas and ticks I use K9 Advantix II 9 to 10 months a year. I apply it once a month on the 1st.

[Guest Snazzy_Chloe]

Sentinel for heartworm on the 1st (it kills flea eggs also) pf every month, and the Frontline Plus on the 15th for fleas and ticks between April and Oct (till it freezes and kills the bugs). I stagger the treatment as I think doing it all at one time upsets their digestive system a bit. It's all preventative, you will have to get a prescription from your vet and they will want to test for heartworm (an annual thing) which I think is expensive and ridiculous if you keep them on the meds year round - but I guess they need to protect themselves because if they have heartworm already and you give them meds I believe it can kill or severely injure the anaimal.

[robinw]

I use Revolution.

 

Heart worm is a problem in Southern Spain. I don't know where your galgos are from, but it might be worth having them tested.

Edited May 21, 2012 by robinw

[cleptogrey]

We use Frontline Plus (topical) every month for fleas and ticks, and Interceptor (oral) every month for heartworm. I'm a couple hundred miles north of you so a little colder. I use the heartworm meds every month, year round, without fail. For the Frontline, I might skip a month or two in the winter but if there are significant warm spells or I have houseguests who might bring bugs, I'll keep using it every month.

 

Many friends and folks here like Comfortis (oral) for fleas, but it doesn't kill ticks and we have lots of those in my area .

 

I understand that Interceptor may be hard to get now. When I need more heartworm medication, I'll probably get Heartgard instead.

 

DITTO, just be aware that you need a prescription for any heartworm meds. have fun shopping for frontline plus, that's another conversation. many people buy it from australia, it's cheaper.

[inugrey]

My vet is really pushing Trifexis -- so much that I wonder if he's getting a kickback.

 

I'm not one to chime in much but I'm also pretty into Trifexis. It takes care of all the uglies such as heart and whipworm and fleas! We had no winter and are having a terrible tick season. I've moved to the preventic collar and trifexis to protect my hounds. The collar actually repels the ticks before they bite and there is none of that frontline ick on their back. This new combination is not only easier on me it's also cheaper. It's a win win.

[Hubcitypam]

DITTO, just be aware that you need a prescription for any heartworm meds.

Not if you buy the from AU or at the feed store as many do with good results.

[Batmom]

Unlike many (from what I hear), my vet has decent prices on heartworm meds so I generally buy there.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

My vet is really pushing Trifexis -- so much that I wonder if he's getting a kickback.

 

I'm not one to chime in much but I'm also pretty into Trifexis. It takes care of all the uglies such as heart and whipworm and fleas! We had no winter and are having a terrible tick season. I've moved to the preventic collar and trifexis to protect my hounds. The collar actually repels the ticks before they bite and there is none of that frontline ick on their back. This new combination is not only easier on me it's also cheaper. It's a win win.

 

I tried the Trifexis for the first time yesterday on my pups, and I was just thrilled that I was able to put it in some liverworst and give it to them as a treat before their meal......never would have happened with the Comfortis, which they really didn't like the taste of. I'm hoping they do well with it because as you say, it's a win win.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Thanks everyone for all your advice. Seems like there are a few choices, so I will be considering the different options. I'm glad that these options are all fine for greyhounds. I'll also have to be careful about what I use for the dogs, considering that my cat lives very closely with the dogs.

 

 

I use Revolution.

 

Heart worm is a problem in Southern Spain. I don't know where your galgos are from, but it might be worth having them tested.

 

Thank you Robin. They are both from Scooby. I suppose they were picked up somewhere in the region north of Madrid. Still, I was planning to have them tested first, just to be absolutely certain. Thanks for the reminder

[Guest sirsmom]

Interceptor and Canine AdvantixII. I'm going to call today to see if I can get more Interceptor since it's scarce other wise I've read Trifexis is comparable.

[Guest KimK]

I'm getting ready to see how Trifexis does for my three. I currently use Interceptor and Frontline Plus every month but with Interceptor being hard to come by right now, I started looking for alternatives. From what my vet described, Trifexis is a combination of Interceptor and Comfortis. I haven't noticed any ticks but then again, I'm not in a woodsy area so may have to look at the collar or going back to something else if they show up. One thing they did mention over and over at the clinic - for Trifexis to be the most effective, it has to be given with a full meal. Something about it binding with the fat in the food to go on and be absorbed & work properly.

[Hubcitypam]

Something about it binding with the fat in the food to go on and be absorbed & work properly.

That makes sense. One of my sisters drugs has to be taken with 20 grams of fat to work correctly.